


The Holiday

by DracoWillHearAboutThis



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Christmas holiday, Deep Throating, Drunk Sex, Ellen Claremont is not President, F/F, Grandmama and Philip are still jerks though, Henry's family is not in line for the throne, Holiday Flings, Home Swap, Homophobia, I'm Sorry I Usually Don't Go There, M/M, Non-royal AU, Sleep Deprivation, The Holiday (The Movie) AU, True Love Disables All Rationality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:13:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28315833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DracoWillHearAboutThis/pseuds/DracoWillHearAboutThis
Summary: Henry is in no mood to attend his family's holiday gathering this year. So when June Claremont-Diaz asks him via a Home Swap website whether or not his house is free over the holidays, he jumps at the opportunity to escape the country and his family for the holidays.He did not include Alex into the calculation - June's charming and gorgeous brother who suddenly appears at her doorstep.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, June Claremont-Diaz/Nora Holleran
Comments: 55
Kudos: 195





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone! Yes, after such a long dry spell, I am here with another new idea! I don't know what's going on, but I'm not questioning the muse. It's apparently on fire.
> 
> This fic is based on one of my favourite Christmas movies, The Holiday. If you enjoy this movie as much as I do, I hope you'll enjoy the story. Merry Christmas. 
> 
> I've had a blast writing this first chapter and I really hope you'll enjoy it! I don't think this story will be long, a couple of chapters at most, but I hope it will be an entertaining ride. 
> 
> Warning: Please note that in this first chapter, Henry and Alex will have sex while under the influence of alcohol. I don't think they are drunk enough to are unable to make decisions, but if this triggers you, be warned.

_**A week to Christmas** _

Henry'd had a day. 

He really had thought that he could prevent a conversation with Philip until their family get-together on Christmas Eve. After all, being faced with both his older brother and his grandmother was going to be horrible enough to last him for the entire next year. One of them alone held enough judgement about his life choices to make him feel as small as one of the ornamental Christmas elves his grandmother was so fond of. 

But no, apparently, his brother had decided to give him a preview of the real thing today over lunch, because Henry could never have it the easy way. 

“It’s time to think of the future, Henry.”

“I don’t care what you do behind closed doors. It’s the public image of the family that concerns me.”

“Don’t you want a family? A wife and a bunch of lovely kids? Martha could introduce you to some of her girlfriends. I’m sure you’d find someone suitable.”

Henry was so, so  _ tired  _ of leading the same discussion again and again. He was well-aware that his grandmother might never come around to his sexuality, but he didn’t need her money. His father had left him more than enough. He could make it on his own.

It was Philip's nagging that really got to him, all those lines about finally joining the family business and mellowing down to fit the public image. He wished their mother would say something, just once, but ever since she’d retired after her husband’s death, she’d been mostly absent of their lives. 

The only person he could rely on was Bea, but he knew her opinion too well. His sister had already told Philip to “Fuck himself,” (in those exact words), about two years ago. She was currently pursuing a career as a musician. 

Sometimes, he wished he had her courage. 

Henry’s phone buzzed, snapping him out of his stupor. He checked it absentmindedly, finding a mail from an unknown account displayed.  
  


**LoveHomeSwap.com** _ You’ve got a message from June Claremont-Diaz!  
  
_

Henry frowned. Was this a spam mail? His filter usually worked pretty well, though. He tentatively clicked the mail and saw that the mail was only CC-ed to him. It had originally been sent to Bea. 

He couldn’t help but glance at the message.  
  


_ Dear BumbleBea, _

_ Please tell me your house is still available for the holidays??? I know this is very last minute, but if you could rent it out to me, you’d be a real lifesaver!! _

_ Love, June  
  
_

“Oh, Bea,” Henry sighed, shaking his head. “What did you do?”

He quickly called upon Google, finding the homepage and after a bit of filtering, he came across a picture of the house he and Bea owned. From the information the post revealed, he could tell Bea had signed up for the programme while he’d been travelling for his gap year with Pez, and a couple of people had come by. There were some positive reviews. 

His eyes hung on the two options displayed underneath the house.  
  


**Rent**

**Home Exchange  
  
**

_ Home Exchange?  _ Like in the movies? People really did that? Swapping houses? Henry blinked, then he let the possibilities of that sink in. 

He could just disappear for a while. Not attend Christmas with his family. 

He could be as irresponsible as they all thought he was and  _ run away. _

He returned to the email, frowning at it. The link underneath the message that told him to ‘sign in and answer’ taunted him. On instinct, he clicked.

Then, he found himself faced with the login page. 

“Um,” he said, making a face. He typed in Bea’s email address, then, after a beat, tried ‘MrWobbles0408’, laughing when it worked. “You should really update your password, Beatrice,” he muttered.

He quickly navigated the site until he found June’s message. Then, he took a deep breath and started writing.  
  


_ Hi, _

_ This is Henry, Bea’s brother. Bea is travelling, so I’m in charge of the house at the moment.  _

_ I’m afraid it’s only available through home exchange.  _

_ Would that be okay for you? _

_ Where are you? _

_ Best wishes, _

_ Henry  
  
_

Then, he thrummed his fingers on the table and waited. The response came no less than five minutes later.  
  


_ Oh my God, I’m so glad you replied! Yes, that would be perfectly fine by me; though I don’t live as luxuriously as you do, mind you. I only have a small apartment in Austin, Texas. You can totally have the guest room for yourself, though. My brother usually takes it up when he comes to visit, but he’s staying in NYC over the holidays because he’s writing his thesis. So you can go wild and don’t have to deal with the chaos that is my room :) I’ll attach photos if you’re interested?  
  
_

Henry looked through the photos, smiling to himself. The apartment looked indeed small but cosy. And honestly, he did not need much space. He just needed to get away. And why couldn’t he do that in Austin, Texas?  
  


_ Sounds good! I’ve never been to Texas. When would you want to come and how long would you want to stay?  
  
_

_ Definitely past Christmas… Tomorrow too soon????  
  
_

Henry held in, blinking. Thought for a moment. Then he smiled.  
  


“ _Tomorrow is perfect,_ ” he replied.

_ **6 Days to Christmas** _

“You are  _ where?!” _ Bea shouted at him through the phone. 

“Texas,” Henry shrugged. “Just getting a cab from the airport in Austin.”

“But… how?”

“It’s not that difficult, Beatrice. They’re all over the place. They want to make money.”

“I don’t mean the cab, you moron, I mean the trip! What are you doing in the US?!”

“Well,” Henry shrugged. “Hold on a sec,” he found a cab and gave the driver the address June had sent him. The driver nodded and loaded his luggage into his trunk. Henry got into the passenger seat and returned to his conversation with June. “It’s your fault, really. You remember a little homepage called LoveHomeSwap-Dot-Com?”

“Oh, bollocks,” Bea cursed. “I thought I’d deactivated the account.”

“Well, you didn’t,” Henry informed her. “I received a message from a June Claremont-Diaz from Austin, Texas last night, asking if the house was available for the holidays. I said it was if she swapped with me. End of story.”

“... Is this you trying to get out of Christmas with Philip and grandma?” she asked, grinning. “Because if so, this is the healthiest thing you have ever done, Henry. I applaud you.”

“I rather feel like it’s the most stupid,” Henry chuckled. “It all seems rather insane.”

“You could use a little insanity in your life,” she told him earnestly. “Now go! Live your life! Shag some hot Texan blokes! Get some sun! Is it sunny over there?” 

“It is,” Henry confirmed. “And maybe around 20 degrees? Though I can’t actually read all the weather displays here. It’s in Fahrenheit.”

“Oh, right,” she chuckled. “Americans.”

“It showed something like 70 degrees, Bea,” Henry complained. “By all means, everyone here should be dead.”

Bea giggled, and the cab driver gave him a sideways look. He decided to change the subject.

“Where are you right now?” he asked.

“Glasgow,” she replied. “We have a show tonight.”

“I see,” he said. “Will you be back for Christmas?”

“I’m not sure yet,” she sighed. “I was thinking about coming as moral support for you, but now that you’re not going to be there and someone is staying at our house…”

“Sorry,” Henry sighed.

“Don’t apologise, Henry,” she scolded him. “This is good. I’m all for your little emancipation. I can always find a Plan B. No worries.”

“Okay,” Henry breathed. 

“Text me when you’re at the apartment,” she said. “I want all the details!”

“Will do,” he smiled. “Bye!”

“Bye!”

They hung up and he watched as they sped into Austin. Bea was right, he thought, his heart lifting a little. This would be good for him.

June had left the key with her downstairs neighbour, a sweet, elderly woman who spoke more Chinese than English but who knew enough to ask Henry for his name, welcome him to the States and give him dumplings she’d made for dinner in a Tupperware dish with the key. Henry thanked her again and again before making his way upstairs to June’s apartment.

The flat looked a bit bigger in person than it had in the photos, Henry was surprised to see. Or maybe it was just that June had emergency-cleaned before she had left. She had also left various messages for Henry on post-its. There was one on the fridge. “Help yourself to anything in here,” she’d written. Another one was on the TV, with the password for the wifi and Netflix. Then, she’d left one with her phone number on the couch table, asking Henry to text her when he arrived. 

Henry picked that one up, typing the number into his phone and opening a new message.  
  
_ Hi June! This is Henry. I just arrived. Thanks so much for everything. Mrs Xue says hello. She gave me dumplings :D Hope you arrived safely, too. If you need anything, say the word. _

Next, he shot a quick message to Bea. By the time he was done, June had responded.

_ Henry! So glad you found it okay! Mrs Xue’s dumplings are a treat, you’ll love them! And your house is a PALACE, Henry, JESUS, are you sure you don’t want any money from me?! _

Henry smiled as he replied.

_ Don’t worry about it, I don’t need the money. Just enjoy your holiday! _

_ Okay… You too! If you need any requests on what to do in Austin, text! _

Henry sent her a thumbs up emoji before putting his phone down and turning to the door that was proclaimed ‘guest room’ by a bright pink post-it. Henry grabbed his luggage, pushed it open and spent the next half hour unpacking. When he was satisfied, he made his way over to the small kitchen space, picking up the dumplings.

He had just spotted the microwave when a key turned in the lock. He froze, shocked when he saw the front door pushed open. 

In came a boy his age, arms and shoulders full with bags and rucksacks, dark curls wild as he huffed, pushing his way into the flat. 

“Hey June,” he called. “Sorry, I couldn’t stand the sight of my dorm anymore, I had to -”

He froze, too, staring at Henry. One of his bags hit the ground with a loud thudding sound.

“You’re not June,” he said, eyebrows furrowing.

“I’m not,” Henry agreed, rather lamely. 

His heartbeat had picked up because, bloody hell, this boy was  _ gorgeous.  _ He had dark, soft-looking skin, vibrant brown eyes and full lips, which he was currently biting in thought.

“I’m June’s brother,” the boy said, at last. “Alex.”

“Oh,” Henry blinked. “I’m -” he hesitated, wondering how to explain. ‘I’m the guy who’s staying in your sister's house for the holidays?’ Yes, that sounded a bit creepy. “I’m a friend of June’s,” he settled on, at last. “I’m Henry.”

“Okay,” he nodded, smiling at him before looking around. “Where’s June?”

Right to the point, then. “She’s in London,” he admitted, awkwardly.

“London?” he repeated, his voice a little high now.

“Yes,” Henry flinched. “It’s a bit of a funny story actually… Maybe it’s best if you called her to explain?”

Alex raised his eyebrows, but he reluctantly lowered his bags to the ground and kicked the door shut behind himself. Then, he pulled his phone from his pocket and walked straight to the guest room - only to stand in the doorway, looking at Henry’s stuff in alarm.

Right. June had mentioned he usually slept there when he was in town. 

Alex cleared his throat and backtracked, going for June’s bedroom instead. He closed the door behind himself, and soon, Henry could hear him talking in a low voice on the other side.

When he finally came out again what appeared like an eternity later, Henry had set the dumplings back on the counter and was inwardly going through his options. Should he get a hotel for the night? Maybe he could stay in one for the rest of his holiday. It would be considerably more expensive, but -

“Right,” Alex broke the silence, cracking a smile. “Sorry. I had no idea June would pull a last-minute stunt like that. But I guess spontaneity runs in the family.”

Henry laughed, unable to help himself. Alex leaned in the doorway, chewing his lip in thought.

“Listen, could I crash here tonight?” he asked, his eyes pleading. “I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow, I promise. It’s just - Dad’s in California and Mum is honeymooning with her new husband in Fiji and - I don’t really have anywhere to go tonight.”

“Oh,” Henry said, nodding. “Sure, no problem.”

“Thanks,” Alex grinned, and oh God, he was really stunning when he smiled. “I swear I’m not a creep. I’m studying law.”

“Lawyers aren’t creeps?” Henry asked, startled into a laugh.

“Not if they’re going into human right, no!” he smirked. “We’re all angels!”

“Sure,” Henry deadpanned, and Alex laughed.

“Man, I can’t even fool someone I just met,” he shook his head. “I think I’m losing my touch.”

Henry grinned, picking up the dumplings again. “Want some?” he asked Alex. “I was just going to warm them up.”

“Oh gosh, are those from Mrs Xue downstairs?” he asked, eyes wide. “Yes, please!”

Henry laughed, and Alex readily helped him get out plates and silverware. 

They sat on the couch and put on some holiday movie on Netflix, though none of them was really watching as they devoured Mrs Xue’s truly fantastic dumplings. Henry would have to thank her tomorrow. 

“So,” Alex said eventually, studying him curiously. “I know my sister fled the country last minute because she had a spat with her girlfriend.”

“Oh?” Henry asked, raising his eyebrows. “Is that the reason?”

“Yup,” Alex shrugged. “They’ll get over themselves, though. They always fight when they’re tense, but Nora and June are inseparable. I’m not worried.” Henry hummed. “Anyway,” he said,” what’s your excuse?”

“For what?” Henry asked.

“For running away over Christmas,” he chuckled. “I know things here are a bit messed up, with my Mum’s new marriage and family Christmas sort of being cancelled this year, but don’t other people usually want to spend the holidays with their loved ones?”

“Not if all their family does is nag them about their sexuality and their future,” Henry muttered, and Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise. 

Henry didn’t know why he was telling Alex any of this. By all means, he was a stranger. But Alex also had just casually admitted to him that June was in a relationship with a girl, like it was no big deal at all, so maybe, Henry could confide in him.

“Man, that sucks,” Alex said, with feeling. “I’m sorry your family are being such dicks.”

Henry chuckled. “Thanks,” he said. “My sister said to just forget about them, enjoy my time here and find some hot guys to shag.” He flushed as soon as the words were out but Alex threw his head back and laughed.

“I like your sister,” he declared. “Brilliant advice.”

“I thought so, too,” he nodded.

“You know,” Alex said, glancing at the cupboard next to the TV. “I happen to know where June keeps the wine my Dad brings from the valley. Want to crack a bottle?”

“Sure,” Henry grinned. “Why not?”

Alex smirked, getting up to retrieve a bottle of red and two glasses. 

Henry giggled, only just stopping short of having wine shoot out of his nostrils from laughing too hard. 

“Oh my God!” he moaned. “Stop!”

“I’m just saying,” Alex grinned. “They must have seen the name ‘Peter Pettigrew’ on the map once in all these years, and they must have seen him sharing a bed with their brother. But. They. Never. Asked. Most supportive brothers ever.”

Henry was far beyond the territory of ‘tipsy’, and he knew it. He just didn’t care. It felt  _ amazing.  _ Alex was charming and funny and intelligent, even when far into his fourth glass of wine. Henry was loose and wasn’t obsessing over his flaws or his future. He was just enjoying the moment. 

Bea would be so proud of him. 

“They probably had their theories about Ron and Harry, too,” Alex mused.

“Well, those weren’t that far off,” Henry shrugged. “They were totally the better Potter-Weasley pairing. Screw Harry and Ginny.”

“Nah, I’m more of a Drarry shipper myself,” Alex shrugged, and when Henry made a face, Alex called: “Oh, come on! Harry was totally low-key lusting over Draco in their sixth year! No one is  _ that _ obsessed with someone when it’s only platonic!”

“Well, I’ll give you that,” Henry said, raising his glass. “Draco deserved a redemption arc.”

“Amen, brother!” Alex called, clinking glasses with him. Then, they drank and fell into a comfortable silence that lasted a couple of moments.

“You know,” Alex said. “I have a thought.”

“That sounds dangerous,” Henry commented.

“You have no idea,” Alex said, turning to him. The glint in his eyes was mischievous. “So, you said you want to get laid,” Alex reminded him. “I wouldn’t mind getting laid myself. We’re drunk, hot, and you’ll be leaving again after Christmas. YOLO.”

“Did you just proposition me and say ‘YOLO’?” Henry asked, incredulous.

“‘YOLO’ is a multi-purpose phrase,” Alex informed him. “And it totally applies here.”

“Let me inform you that each time you use the word, it knocks 50 points off your hotness chart.”

“Liar. My attractiveness is incorruptible,” Alex huffed, grinning. 

And damn, he was right. 

“So, what do you say?” he asked, a challenge in his eyes. “Shall we make the most of it?”

Henry’s eyes flicked to Alex’s full lips, and he decided, for once, to not overthink this. A fit bloke wanted to have sex with him. What sort of idiot would he be if he turned down a good time?

“Okay,” Henry breathed. 

Alex smiled and placed the glass onto the table. Henry copied him. Then, Alex leaned in to kiss him. 

Alex’s mouth was warm and he tasted of the wine they’d had. Henry melted into the kiss, happy to let Alex explore with his tongue and lips. It had been so long since Henry had been kissed that he felt a little overwhelmed by the intimacy of it.

It wasn’t like Henry was living celibate, but he didn’t exactly go out regularly. His family’s expectations always sat in his neck. He only ever let go when he was out with his best friend, Pez, because he had the talent to coax him out of his anxieties. 

But Pez was travelling a lot, and he hadn’t seen him in a while. Alas, no recent hook-ups with random strangers.

Not that said, random strangers had ever been as intoxicating as Alex, somehow.

Alex moaned into the kiss, reaching out to bring his hand up to the back of his neck and pull him closer, and Henry was  _ lost.  _

Clothes were gone entirely quickly. He couldn’t quite keep track of what was happening. He was drunk, after all. But he was sober enough to know that he never wanted Alex to stop kissing him, or that his hands felt absolutely magical on his skin. 

And then, Alex’s mouth was on his cock, and everything became very blurry very fast. 

“Bloody hell, you are good at this,” Henry breathed, burying his fingers in Alex’s luscious curls and biting his lip in an attempt not to come on the spot. 

Alex, much to his disappointment, popped off his shaft but kept jerking him leisurely, grinning up at him with red, puffy lips. “Why thank you,” he quipped. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

“Will it get you to fuck me?” Henry asked, the words flying out of his mouth without his conscious input. Damn, he  _ was _ drunk.

Alex’s eyebrows flew up, but he looked pleased. “That can be arranged,” he nodded. “Let me just hunt for some lube. Be right back.”

He got up clumsily and went for his sister’s bedroom. Henry stared after him, incredulous. 

“You know where your sister keeps her lube?” he asked, appalled. 

“I’ve stayed here every holiday,” Alex called back. “What do you think I did when I needed emergency supplies?” 

Henry laughed, covering his face with his hands.

“She doesn’t have condoms, though,” Alex called back. “No cocks, no need. Do you have some?” 

“Yes,” Henry nodded, rolling off the couch and stumbling into the guest bedroom. He thanked his lucky stars that he usually carried around a couple of backups for when Pez was in town. He was going to have to stock up for this trip. 

When he returned, Alex was perched on the armrest of the couch, holding the pink bottle of lube up victoriously. “It’s got a tingling effect, even,” he said, smirking. “My sister and her treasure trove!”

“You’re enjoying this way too much,” Henry deadpanned. 

“I’m enjoying this the right amount,” Alex insisted. “Now get over here and let me finger you open, will you?”

“Fuck, yes,” Henry breathed, crossing the distance between them to kiss him, hard. Alex laughed into his mouth.

If Alex was good with his mouth, he was even better with his fingers. He took his time opening Henry up, teasing Henry’s prostate when he found it, and it drove Henry  _ insane. _

“I could make you come like this,” Alex said conversationally. “And then get you hard again, fuck you and make you come all over again.”

“I’ve had too much to drink,” Henry reminded him. He wasn’t as drunk as they were when they started this, Henry knew, but he wasn’t completely sober, either. “When I come, I’ll be out like lightning.”

Alex laughed at that. “Good point,” he nodded. “Next time, then.”

Something tightened in Henry’s chest at those words. Would there be a next time? He had been under the impression that this was a one-off. 

But he had no time to ponder the matter, because, with one last tease to his prostate, Alex withdrew his fingers and positioned himself between his legs. He ran his hands over Henry’s thighs, squeezing them appreciatively, and Henry shifted until he was in a better position, completely spread out in front of Alex.

Alex held his gaze for a long moment, and then he started to sink into him. Henry closed his eyes and fisted the sheets as he let out a long moan.

Of course, Alex was good at that, too.

He didn’t treat Henry like something breakable, but he wasn’t too rough, either. Somehow, he picked up the perfect pace and kept it. He seemed to be able to read Henry like a book; to pick up on his tiniest tells and give him exactly what he wanted. 

When Henry was right there at the edge, he brought his hand to Henry’s erection, jerking him in time with his movements. He had freshly lubed his hand without Henry noticing, and he’d been right: The tingling sensation the lube added to his touch was mind-blowing; it wasn’t strong enough to distract from Alex’s ministrations, but it was enough to heighten his pleasure. 

“I’m going to -” Henry breathed, arching his back.

“Yes,” Alex encouraged. “Fuck. Do it.”

And then, Henry came, and he almost blacked out, his orgasm was so strong. He felt Alex’s hips stuttering as an afterthought; the way his movements slowed and his fingers tightened on his hips.  Eventually, he stopped moving completely, still buried inside of him. They were both breathing hard. 

“Motherfucker,” Alex whispered, “we need to do that again.”

Henry laughed, unable to help himself. “You have quite a mouth,” he noted.

Alex grinned. “I’ve been told,” he shrugged. Then, he added, quite casually: “Did you really have your heart set on spending your holidays alone, or are you up for some company? Because that. We could do that all the way through Christmas.”

Henry hesitated. This was probably a horrible idea. But right now, in his orgasm-fuddled mind, it seemed completely fucking brilliant, and like the best thing that could have happened to him. 

So he just said: “Sure. But then you’ll have to buy your sister a new bottle of lube.”

Alex laughed, grinning at him lopsidedly. “I think I can manage that,” he shrugged, and then, he leaned in to catch Henry’s lips in a sweet, unhurried kiss.

Oh, Henry was in trouble. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my dear readers! Happy New Year! 
> 
> I'm back with the new chapter for this fic :) Hope you'll enjoy it!!

_ **5 Days To Christmas** _

When Henry woke the next morning, he felt well-rested for the first time in - he couldn’t even remember since when. He’d expected a hangover or at least a wine-induced headache, but instead, he just felt loose-limped and relaxed. He smiled, stretching out lazily on the couch before realising that he was quite alone.

He sat up and glanced around the empty living room. Before he had any real time to panic, though, the bathroom door opened and Alex walked out, wrapped up in a marine NYU LAW hoodie, his hair still damp and curling attractively around his face. He smiled when he met Henry’s eyes.

“Back to the living?” he asked. “You slept like a stone. Coffee?”

“Yes, please,” Henry sighed, watching Alex as he pulled out a cup and poured. 

“Cream or sugar?” he checked.

“Just cream,” Henry answered. 

Alex stretched as he reached for the cream on the top cupboard, his hoodie riding up and revealing some of the dark skin of his lower back. Henry felt heat gathering in his belly just from that small glimpse. Then, Alex walked over and handed him the cup.

“I’ll head out soon and get us some breakfast,” he announced. “I’m afraid June left us nothing to work with. We’ll have to go stock up later.”  
  
“It’s fine,” Henry shrugged. “It’s not like I got around to it yesterday.”

“Well, I sort of invaded and monopolised your attention,” Alex grinned sheepishly. “But I’ll make up for it by feeding you. See? Without me, you’d have to figure out all the annoying stuff on your own. I can be useful!”

Henry smiled into his cup, not answering.

“Unless you changed your mind?” Alex checked, raising his eyebrows. “Do you still want me to stay here?”

Henry blinked. He realised that this was his way out, if he wanted it. He could blame it on the alcohol and send Alex on his merry way. Have his quiet holiday the way he’d planned it.

Only… he didn’t want that. He liked Alex’s company. Alex was refreshing in a way Henry hadn’t encountered before. He didn’t want to let him go just yet.

“You can stay,” he said, at last, and Alex’s shoulder’s seemed to sag a little in relief.

“Good,” he smirked. “I didn’t really fancy looking for a last-minute flight to Cali to crash my Dad’s plans.”

“Glad to hear you’re more respectful of your father’s schedule than mine,” Henry rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t stop smiling.

“What can I say?” Alex laughed. “I’m a little shit. That’s my charm point. Plus, I can always pay you back with sexual favours.”

The casual, flirty way in which he said that set Henry on fire and left him momentarily speechless. Alex glanced at the clock. 

“I’d better get going,” Alex said. “You can have a shower while I had to the bakery. Anything you want me to bring back?”

“Surprise me,” Henry shrugged. He picked up his mobile and glanced at it. There was a new message from Bea.  
  


_How is Texas? Found any fit blokes to take home yet?_

  
Henry stopped breathing, then looked up at where Alex was gathering his mobile and wallet. He lifted his mobile, switching to camera mode. 

“Smile,” he instructed.

He looked up, blinked, then flashed him a heart-stopping grin. Henry took a couple of shots. 

“Setting a new phone background?” Alex teased.

“Fuck you,” Henry laughed. “No, my sister is being smart, and I want to shut her up.”

“With my pretty face?” he asked, eyebrows drawing together.

He bit his lip, embarrassed as he reminded him: “Remember how my sister told me to find some hot bloke to shag?”  
  
A beat. Then Alex burst out laughing. “Well,” he chuckled. “You did follow her advice quite thoroughly, if I may say so.”

“I thought so, too,” Henry nodded, smiling. 

Alex shook his head, still grinning as he slipped into his jacket and pulled a woollen hat over his hair. “Be right back!” he waved before disappearing through the door.

Henry smiled to himself, sending the photo of Alex to Bea without comment and heading into the bathroom to shower. When he returned to the living room, there was an answer waiting for him.  
  


_Blimey, Hen, I was mostly kidding! Good on you, though, he’s totally lush! Who is he?_

  
Henry grinned, still towelling off his hair as he typed a quick response. _‘He’s June’s brother. He didn’t know June was gone for the holidays, so he turned up here. He’s staying.’_

It took only a moment for his mobile to light up with a call from his sister.

“Wait, he’s staying with you?” she asked, in full older sister mode. “You’re letting a random bloke stay with you?”

“He’s not a random bloke,” Henry rolled his eyes. “He’s June’s brother. June is currently at our house. If we trust June not to be criminal, I can trust him not to murder me in my sleep.”

“If Philip ever finds out about this, we’re both dead,” she groaned. “I’m such a horrible influence.”

“Honestly?” Henry sighed, leaning against the back of the couch and staring at the far wall. There were a couple of photos pinned against a kitchen cupboard that Henry hadn’t spotted last night. A girl with a startling resemblance to Alex in her facial features was in most of them. Probably June. She also had the same curly hair, only longer. In one, she was cuddled up to another girl, lighter skin, black hair drawn back in a ponytail. Her girlfriend? Then, there was a photo of her and Alex. They seemed to be somewhere at a lake. They were both holding cocktails and were flashing identical smiles. Then, there was an older picture of a family of four; a blond woman, a man with brown skin and dark hair who was clearly their father and who they had gotten their colouring from, and two kids. Alex was probably around ten, if he had to guess. His hair was wild and his grin so wide that it made Henry smile just looking at it. June was leaning into her father’s side. She was only slightly older than Alex, Henry realised. Maybe by two years or so? Around the same age-difference he and Bea had, probably.

He blinked, trying to focus back on the conversation at hand. “Honestly,” he repeated, “for the first time in - I don’t even remember since when, I feel _good_ , Bea. Being away from home, being with Alex… It’s easy, being around him? There are no expectations, and he’s _fun_ and smart and I really don’t think he’s dangerous. Yes, of course, this could go south really quickly, but how often did we say the same thing about you and your music and you still did it?”

“You do have a point there,” she sighed, and he could hear the smile in her voice. “I guess it’s different when it’s your baby brother taking the risks.”

“I thought you were happy I was doing something mental like this,” Henry rolled his eyes. “Breaking free from the family and all.” 

“I was,” she insisted. “I am. I just don’t want you to get hurt.” She sighed, and Henry could hear her hesitating. “Be careful,” she breathed. “It’s one thing to go and hook up for the night. It’s quite another to have a holiday fling. Deep down, you’ve always been a romantic, Henry.”

“Bea -” Henry started to interrupt.

“Don’t deny it,” she scolded him. “I know how much you like those Austen books. You want that fairy tale ending for yourself. And I’m afraid that if you let the lines blur too much…”

“I won’t,” Henry promised. “I know what this is. It’s just sex and a bit of fun.”

“I hope you’re right,” she sighed. “Because he does live across the pond, Hen. Don’t forget that. It’s only for the week.”

“Yes,” Henry sighed, the word leaving a sour aftertaste in his mouth. 

Then, the lock turned and Alex stepped back into the apartment. He held up a paper bag at him, smiling. Henry smiled back. 

“I have to go,” he told Bea. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Okay,” Bea nodded. “Send me at least one message a day, or I’ll worry.”

“Yes, Mum,” he said pointedly. 

“You’re such an arse,” she laughed. “Go and say 'hello' to your boy toy from me.”

“My sister says ‘hello’,” Henry told Alex, who grinned as he looked up from kicking off his shoes. 

“Oh, so she liked the picture?” he asked. “Tell her my usual modelling fees are sky-high, so she should consider herself lucky.”

Henry shook his head, before saying to Bea: “He… says 'hello' back?”

Alex laughed, hanging up his jacket. 

“Yeah, right,” she chuckled. “Go. Talk to you soon.”

“Bye,” he said and hung up. Then, he turned his attention to the paper bag Alex had brought. “What did you get us?”

“I splurged a bit,” Alex grinned. “Should get us through the next couple of days for breakfast. There’s baguette, croissants and a couple of pastries, like bear claws, cinnamon rolls, danishes, muffins, brownies and some lemon squares.”

“Are you planning to feed a football team?” Henry asked, alarmed. “I don’t think I can handle that much sugar.”

“Your football or my football?” Alex asked, rolling his eyes. “Because for American football players, that would be inhaled in a heartbeat. Your soccer players, on the other hand…”

“Hey now,” Henry glowered. “Just because you Americans don’t understand the art of real football -”

“Just because we took your mediocre sports and made something better out of it -”

“So, do you play American football, then?” Henry interrupted, eyeing him critically.

“No,” Alex admitted, grabbing the paper bag and setting some of the pastries out on plates. Henry had to give it to him. They did look good. “I played Lacrosse in high school.”

“What now?” Henry asked, raising his eyebrows as if he’d never heard the name before. He had, but in all truth, he didn’t know how it was played. 

“Not a word against Lacrosse!” Alex said hotly. “It’s the superior sport, okay!”

“Of course,” Henry said, mock-serious. 

“So, are you a professional soccer player then or what?!” Alex mocked, reaching out for Henry’s cup to pour him more coffee. 

“No,” Henry shook his head. “I used to play polo.”

Alex snorted, almost spilling the coffee. “Sorry,” he said, “Isn’t that the thing with the horses and the sticks? Like, that atrocity that only rich pricks like the Prince of Wales play?”

Henry flushed a little. “I wished I could deny that,” he sighed, accepting the fresh cup from Alex, “but my family sort of are rich pricks, so I fell into it.”

Alex winced. “Sorry,” he said, and he looked like he meant it. “Didn’t mean to rub that in.”

“It’s fine,” Henry shrugged. There was a beat of silence, then he picked up the plate Alex had prepared and declared: “Despite our imminent sugar death, this does look amazing, so shall we eat?”

Alex smiled. “Let’s,” he nodded, and they migrated back to the couch table. 

After they had eaten, Alex dragged him outside for a bit of sightseeing, and Henry started to properly appreciate his luck in finding a real Austin-raised bloke to spend his holidays with. He’d travelled a lot throughout his gap year, mostly throughout Asia, but he’d done it with Pez, and they’d usually explored on their own. Having someone show him the ropes and experiencing the city through their eyes was something else entirely. 

Also, Alex was a constant bundle of energy. He talked a mile a minute and he was so engaging in everything he said or did that Henry soon felt himself completely filled up by him, no space left for any thoughts that weren’t about Alex, and that included his worries about his family or his future. 

It was perfect. 

When they became tired, they went grocery shopping and headed home. 

“We’ll have time for more throughout the week,” Alex promised. “And tomorrow, I can take you for Texan Barbecue. Prepare yourself. Your mind is going to be blown. Though the line is going to be huge, I guess, especially around the holidays -”

“We have to wait in line?” Henry asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s part of the experience!” Alex existed, tutting. “You’ll see, heathen!”

Henry laughed, but Alex had already moved on to the next subject, his mind working a mile a minute. Maybe they shouldn’t have had that third cup of coffee to go, but strangely, Henry did not mind. 

“We can also take June’s car and drive out to the lake house for Christmas!”

“You have a lake house?”

“My Dad does. He bought it for when he’s ever back in the area. We meet there every summer for a family holiday, but we can use it however we want for the rest of the year, he doesn’t mind.”

“What exactly do your parents do?” Henry asked, curious. He hadn’t pegged Alex’s family for being especially well-off, exactly, but the mention of a holiday home threw him. 

“Dad is the California governor,” Alex grinned sheepishly. “And Mum is in the Senate.”

“You’re kidding?” Henry gasped, eyes widening. 

“Nope,” Alex snorted. “Politician family through and through.”

“I did not see that coming,” Henry blinked. “So, is that what you want to do with your law degree?”

“I’m… not sure,” Alex said slowly, his smile falling. “It used to be the plan. But then I got into law school and got sidetracked by Human Rights. Now, I’m not so sure anymore.”

“Why is that?”

Alex sighed. He bit his lip, before admitting: “The point of becoming a politician was always helping people. At least for me. But having two parents working in the field, I can see how slow-going it can be. And now I’m wondering if there isn’t a better way I can do that. One where I can be just as, if not more useful without all the stress and the public pressure.”

Henry hummed. He couldn’t stop staring at Alex. He was mesmerising.

“But maybe that’s June getting in my head,” he snorted. “She never wanted me in politics.”

“What does your sister do?” Henry asked. 

“She’s a journalist,” Alex smiled. “Works for a local newspaper.”

“That’s cool,” Henry said, sincere.

“She’s always loved writing,” Alex shrugged. “It was sort of a no-brainer for her.” 

Something in Henry shuttered at those words. He wished it was that easy for him.

“So, what do you do?” Alex asked.

Henry sighed. “Can you ask me something easier?” he muttered, and Alex winced. 

“Right,” he nodded. “Your family is pestering you. I remember.”

“They want me to join the family business,” Henry sighed. 

“And you don’t want that,” Alex said. It wasn’t a question.

“No,” Henry confirmed. 

“What does your family do?”

“You ever heard of Mountchristen Society?” It was a stupid question, of course. He could as well have asked if he’d heard of Google or the Royal Family. And the widening of Alex’s eyes confirmed exactly that. 

“Wait!” Alex called, coming to a stop. He almost dropped the bag in his hand. “Your family _owns_ Mountchristen Society?!”

“For generations and generations,” Henry sighed. 

“Holy shit!” Alex called. “You weren’t kidding about your family being rich!”

Henry laughed, but there was no humour in it. “No,” he sighed. “I’m afraid I wasn’t.”

Alex looked at him for a long moment, and then he started walking again. Henry fell into pace with him. 

“I guess I can see now why you’re under a lot of pressure,” he said, at last. 

“You have no idea,” Henry muttered. “My brother and grandmother are constantly on my back. I was going insane over there in London.”

Alex glanced at him, his face pensive. “But your sister didn’t join the company, did she?” he pointed out. “I think I read something about that. Doesn’t she play music?”

“She does,” Henry confirmed. “Which means they’re putting even more pressure on me now because Bea straying like that was such a scandal.”

Alex winced. Then, he asked: “If you had the choice, what would you want to do?”

There was a long silence before Henry admitted: “I like writing, too. Though I probably wouldn’t go into journalism. Maybe I’d be an author.” Then, he laughed. “Now, you see why I can’t hold my own against my grandmother.”

“Why are you saying that?” Alex frowned.

“Because I sound stupid,” Henry muttered.

“No, you don’t,” Alex argued. “Are you any good?”

Henry was thrown by the question. “I don’t know,” Henry shrugged. “I never let anyone read my stuff.”

“Well, I’d love to read something of yours, if you’d let me,” Alex smiled. “I was June’s cheerleader, back when she was still writing poems and short stories in high school. I can give you feedback, though I didn’t study literature, of course.”

Henry blinked. No one had ever seriously offered to read his creations, not even Bea or Pez. To be fair, Bea knew that writing wasn’t something their family would ever seriously consider as a career choice, so maybe that’s why she hadn’t encouraged it; to save him the pain of a complete break from them, the way she had suffered it. Pez, on the other hand, knew that Henry was very protective of his work. He wouldn’t have shared it even if he had asked.

But Alex… he wouldn’t see him again after this week, would he? Maybe it was worth a shot.

“I’ll consider it,” he said, at last. 

Alex nodded. They walked the rest of the way home in silence. 

_ **4 Days To Christmas** _

Henry woke up alone in bed. He stretched lazily, reaching out for his mobile on the nightstand. 

9:37 A.M. Huh. He hadn’t slept in like that in a long time. 

He checked his messages, let Bea know that he was alive, and then got out of bed to poke his head out of the room. He found Alex on the couch, on his laptop, an empty cup of coffee on an array of notes, wrapped up in a fluffy cover June kept on the couch. 

He looked up at Henry when the door opened and smiled, though he did look a bit tired. Henry knew those shadows under Alex’s eyes too well; had lived with sleep deprivation for too long to not recognise the signs in a heartbeat.

“Hi,” he said, sitting down at the armrest to nudge his shoulder. “When did you get up?”

“Maybe around six?” Alex chuckled. “Couldn’t sleep anymore.”

Henry made a face. They hadn’t fallen asleep until around two. They had cooked (or Alex had, and Henry had assisted) and watched a movie after they had gotten home, and then, they’d gotten lost in each other. It had been a perfect night, really; or at least, he’d thought so until now.

“That’s not a lot of sleep,” he pointed out.

“I’m used to it,” he shrugged. “I sort of run on coffee and sheer will power most of the time.”

Henry hummed. It’s not like he couldn’t relate. He constantly had trouble sleeping in London. There were nights when he didn’t sleep at all. It was a work in progress with his therapist. 

“I haven’t slept as well as I have for the past two nights in… I don’t even remember,” Henry said, out loud.

Alex smiled. “That’s my cock,” he shrugged. “It has magical properties.”

Henry snorted, and Alex grinned, turning back to his screen.

“Is that your thesis?” Henry asked.

“Yes,” Alex sighed before closing his laptop. “I’m stuck, though. Haven’t written more than a paragraph in the last hour.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Henry said.

“It’s fine,” Alex shrugged. “Still have a while before I need to be done.”

He turned to Henry and his fingers found the inside of Henry’s thigh, a smile spreading over his lips. “Want company in the shower?” he asked.

“The shower is tiny!” Henry pointed out. “We’ll never fit!”

“I’m a teeny tiny person,” Alex grinned. “You can squeeze me in.”

“Oh, so you get to call yourself tiny, but if I call you short, you punish me?” Henry challenged.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy your punishment,” Alex smirked, and Henry’s throat suddenly felt very dry. 

“Right,” he said, coughing. “Shower.”

Alex laughed. “Shower,” he agreed, and then, Alex pulled him up by the hand. 

“Tomorrow we really have to go out for dinner,” Alex said, loose-limbed and lazy after his third orgasm of the night. Henry smiled as he ran a hand through his hair, watching his eyes flutter closed. “I mean it. You can’t seduce me to stay in every night.”

“Okay,” Henry shrugged. “If you say so.”

Alex huffed, and then he turned to nuzzle into his side. Henry stretched his arm out to let him get comfortable.

“You’re trouble,” Alex muttered. 

“Pot. Kettle. Black,” Henry teased. 

He wasn’t sure if Alex still heard him, though, because he seemed to be out like lightning. 

Henry reached for his mobile to check the time. 0:14 A.M.. At least it wasn’t as bad as last night. 

Henry looked back at Alex’s sleeping face for a moment, and couldn’t resist opening the camera app and sneaking a picture. He couldn’t help but want to keep this image for eternity: Alex pressed against him, peaceful and calm, utterly wrecked from their activities of the hours past. 

He quickly put the mobile away and stared at Alex some more. Bea’s words replayed in his head. 

_He does live across the pond, Hen. Don’t forget that. It’s only for the week._

Henry took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his heart pounding.

It became harder and harder to remember that this arrangement of theirs had a time limit when Alex was pressed up against him like this, warm and solid and everything he could wish for.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my dear readers! Here I am, back with the new chapter! Hope you enjoy it :)

**_3 Days To Christmas_ **

Henry found Alex in front of his laptop again the next morning. He was shivering slightly as he was wrapped up in the thin blanket, staring blankly at the screen, and Henry decided that this was decidedly enough. This might be _his_ holiday, but that didn’t mean Alex couldn’t get some reprieve, too.

Alex jerked violently when Henry shut the laptop screen in his face, blinking up into his face. 

“Hi,” he said, sounding dazed. “What are you -?”

“You’re coming back to bed with me,” Henry ordered, jutting his jaw out defiantly. “I’ll suck you off, and then we’ll sleep some more. You won’t touch that laptop again until I’m gone, and if I have to tie you to the bed. Is that clear?”

Alex stared at him, and then, a slow smile spread across his face.

“Bossy,” he noted appreciatively. “I like it.”

Henry rolled his eyes and held out his hand. Alex took it, letting Henry pull him to his feet. 

Alex’s skin was cold when Henry wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a close-lipped kiss (they hadn’t brushed their teeth yet, after all). Henry knew the signs, of course. Constant lack of sleep would mess with your body temperature. He’d been there, freezing his arse off in June in London while the rest of the population wore shorts and flip flops. 

Alex leaned into him with a sigh and Henry raised his fingers to run them through tousled locks of hair. 

“Maybe we could keep the blowjobs for later?” Alex suggested lazily. “Suddenly I really feel like snuggling and napping.”

Henry smiled. There was a tender feeling in his chest that he knew should not be there but that he couldn’t shake if he tried. 

“Sure,” he nodded, pressing his lips to Alex’s temple. “Let’s go back to bed.”

Alex slept for six hours and Henry felt almost triumphant about it. He napped with him for about two more hours as well, then got out his mobile and started writing a new short story. It was peaceful; Alex breathing calmly at his side, the room quiet, the only noises coming from the city outside. It made his creative juices flow like they hadn’t in a while. By the time Alex stirred, he was just putting the finishing touches to it.

“Hey,” Alex breathed, voice raspy from sleep as he sidled up against him and laid a head on his shoulder, watching him curiously. 

“Hey yourself,” Henry smiled, putting his mobile down to scan his face. “Are you feeling better?”

“I feel like I was run over by a train,” Alex complained, blinking. “Then I got up, got a piano dropped on my head, and was laughed at by a roadrunner.”

“Someone watched too much Looney Tunes growing up,” Henry smiled, but his fingers were already combing through Alex’s hair and he closed his eyes in open enjoyment.

“June kept warning me that my lifestyle would catch up to me eventually,” he sighed. “I just didn’t think it would be in the form of a hot, tall Brit.”

Henry smiled. “Glad to be of service,” he chuckled. “No, honestly, though, I’ve been where you’ve been. I keep going through phases where I don’t sleep well, or at all, and then I catch up and feel horrible.” After a pause, he added: “This is the most orderly sleep schedule I’ve ever had, actually.”

“Texas is good for you,” Alex smirked, opening his eyes.

_You’re good for me,_ Henry thought. He did not say it.

“Whatever it is,” Henry continued. “I couldn’t sit by and watch you work yourself into a stupor. Not if I had the power to stop it.”

“You have a lot of power,” Alex mused. “I hope you keep using that body of yours for good, not for evil, even after you return to London.”

Henry smiled but he didn’t feel it. The thought of returning home didn’t sound so appealing anymore. The more time he spent with Alex, the more he dreaded his return.

Alex stretched, making a cute noise in the back of his throat before glancing at Henry's mobile resting on his chest. “What were you writing?” he asked. “Before I woke up.”

“Oh,” Henry blinked. “Just a short story.”

“Can I read it?” Alex asked curiously. 

Henry bit his lip, then shrugged. “Give me some time to polish it up,” he said. “Then you can look it over.” The smile he got in return was blinding.

“Can’t wait,” Alex muttered. Then, he glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand and groaned. “I know I said we’d go out for barbecue tonight,” he sighed. “But can we do that tomorrow? I’m exhausted.”

“Of course,” Henry grinned. “I have no problem with more cuddling and napping.”

“And blowjobs,” Alex added. “Blowjobs were promised.”

“Indeed, they were,” Henry said solemnly.

With a soft sigh, Alex sprawled out across his chest, settling in, and Henry’s chest felt tight watching him.

He really, really didn’t want to go home.

**_2 Days To Christmas_ **

Henry woke up to Alex’s mouth on his cock. 

“Oh,” he groaned. 

Alex chuckled. “Good morning to you, too, sweetheart,” he said cheekily before returning to licking the tip of his erection.

Henry’s heart fluttered at the pet name, but he was too aroused to let his mind linger on it. Instead, he closed his eyes and let Alex lap at his rigid shaft before taking him all the way in and hollowing his cheeks. Henry’s hips bucked at the feeling, and Alex hummed in encouragement. His hands found Henry’s and he placed them on his head in permission. Henry’s initial thrusts were tentative, but when the head of his cock first hit the back of Alex’s throat and he did not gag, he became more confident, allowing himself to surrender to the sensation. It didn’t take long at all for his body to tense and shake in climax and Alex pulled away enough to swallow without issue. 

They were both panting when Alex lay back next to him, smirking like the cat that got the cream. 

“So,” Henry commented when he had caught his breath enough to speak. “You seem to be feeling better.”

“Much,” Alex confirmed. “Catching up on sleep does wonders for my libido.”

“Not that you needed much help in that area, to begin with,” Henry noted, but Alex only grinned at him mischievously. He rolled over until his body was covering Henry’s and his hard dick was pressing against Henry’s arse. 

“Just imagine what I can do now with more energy,” he purred, leaning in to nip at Henry’s throat. 

Henry shuddered, not sure how he was going to survive Alex Claremont-Diaz.

“See?” Alex said dramatically as they ate their way through Henry’s first Texan Barbecue. “I told you it was worth the wait!”

“It’s certainly good,” Henry amended, highly amused. “Though I’m not sure I would have chosen to wait almost two hours for it.”

“That’s because it’s almost Christmas,” Alex rolled his eyes. “And the waiting makes it even better! You need to work up an appetite!”

Henry begged to differ, but honestly, he did not mind. Two hours in line with Alex, standing entirely too close and making fun of each other affectionately was the best use of the evening he could have imagined, anyway. 

And the brightness in Alex’s eyes was totally worth the adventure, anyway.

**_Christmas Eve_ **

“Do you have everything?” Alex asked, glancing around. “Not that Lake LBJ is out of this universe if we forget something important, but I’d hate to drive all the way out here again unless -”

He was cut off by a knock on the door, and both of them frowned, glancing in the direction of the noise. 

“Who did June not inform of her absence now?” Henry muttered.

“I might have an idea…” he sighed, walking across the room and pulling the door open. 

The girl on the other side was someone Henry recognised from the photos on June’s cupboard. Her girlfriend. 

“Nora,” Alex greeted her. 

“Alex,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “I knew you’d end up here. There was no way you’d stay in New York for Christmas.” Then, her eyes found Henry and she blinked. “And who are you?”

“I’m Henry,” Henry said, glancing at Alex. “I’m a… uh - friend of Alex’s.”

Nora grinned. “Right,” she nodded, “A ‘uh - friend’. We’ll leave it at that.” She turned to Alex again. “Where’s June?”

Alex sighed. “She didn’t tell you?”

“We’ve been sort of temporarily out of contact,” Nora made a face. “I’m here to fix that.”

“Yeah, well,” Alex shrugged. “June is in London. That’s why Henry is here.”

Nora blinked, clearly taken off guard. “What?” she asked.

“She’s at my house,” Henry explained, rather lamely. “And I’m here. It’s a… um… home swap thing?”

“What is this?” Nora muttered. “Some sort of romantic comedy?”

Henry didn’t answer because, well, he had wondered that himself for a couple of times throughout the last week. 

“Well, that is just perfect,” she sighed, leaning against the doorframe. “How am I going to make up for being an insensitive workaholic now?”

“Maybe you should embrace the romantic comedy theme and grab a flight to London?” Alex suggested. 

Nora laughed. “Wait, you’re serious,” she said, her eyes widening.

“Well, your family is stupid rich, so you can certainly afford the last minute flight,” Alex smirked. “Not as stupid rich as yours, though,” Alex told Henry conspiratorially.

“Oh, good,” Henry said sarcastically. “For a moment, I felt threatened here.”

“And June loves shit like that,” Alex shrugged, turning back to Nora. “So go woo her and she might forgive you.”

“I don’t know,” Nora sighed. “You know I’m horrible at romance and stuff. That’s why I suck at relationships. I don’t know why June stuck with me for so long.”

“Because she loves you,” Alex said pointedly. “And she will keep forgiving you for screwing up if you keep trying. You’re just wired differently, the two of you. She gets that. You always find your way back to each other. You just need to try.”

Nora bit her lip, then she nodded. “Okay,” she said, and Alex smiled. 

“Good,” he praised, then made a shooing motion. “Now, go! Henry and I have a Lake House to get to!”

“Right,” Nora rolled her eyes, stepping away from the entrance door. “Use condoms.”

“Fuck you!” Alex laughed, then he slammed the door in her face. “Now,” he smiled at Henry, picking up his bag. “Lake LBJ.”

The drive to the Lake House didn’t take too long, as Alex had predicted - about an hour and a half - and after they had dropped off their stuff and opened the windows to air the rooms, they drove off again for some more groceries. 

Alex ended up cooking for them. He roasted a small turkey, which was still enough to last them through Christmas day for sure, along with a sheet pan of vegetables (potatoes, onions and sweet potatoes). It was simple as far as Christmas dinners went, but far more than Henry could have achieved alone and definitely more delicious than anything he could have attempted.

“I picked up cooking from my Dad,” Alex explained to him as he fixed up the sauce for the turkey. “Lots of Mexican cuisine, of course, but he liked to experiment in the kitchen, especially since Mum would get cravings for the homemade food she missed from her parents' house a lot, and she has no talent for cooking. I ended up helping him a lot. June is useless, which is hilarious. Both women in our family don’t know how to cook an omelette without burning it.”

“That sounds like feminism at its finest,” Henry smiled, and Alex chuckled. 

“You might be right there,” Alex nodded, tasting the sauce and nodding decisively. “Good. Now, let’s eat!”

Dinner on Christmas Eve with Alex was the most festive and yet calm Christmas Henry had ever had the pleasure to attend. The food was brilliant, the wine was good, they played quiet Christmas songs in the background and no one brought up uncomfortable subjects. Compared to what his family had actually had in store for him, it was heaven. 

He wished, deep down, that he could have this every holiday. That this wasn’t a time-limited offer.

After they had done the dishes, Alex turned to Henry and caught him around the waist. 

“I have a suggestion for you,” he smiled. “This house has this amazing tub. Why don’t we have a bath and some more wine, relax and soak, and print out that short story of yours from my father’s study for me to read?”

Henry tilted his head, considering. He was still nervous about Alex reading his work, but he was also curious about his feedback. Furthermore, he wanted to share this part of himself with Alex. There was something about Alex that made him want to open up more and more, to the point of no return. 

“Okay,” he nodded, and Alex’s smile widened. “Give me your e-mail and I’ll send it so you can print it.”

“Perfect,” Alex nodded, already stepping away to retrieve his laptop. 

Henry pulled out his mobile, frowning when he saw he had a couple of messages. Three were from Bea, one from June, and one from Philip. He ignored them all to open Google Drive and send off the document. When Alex confirmed that he’d received it, he took the time to check his messages.  
  


**Philip:** _Hello Henry, with you and Bea not turning up at the Manor this morning, I had concluded that you weren’t going to show up for family Christmas. When I reached Beatrice, she told me you were out of the country. Would it have really been such a bother to let us know? Mother and Grandmother are both terribly disappointed. I’d really hoped you’d grown out of this egoistic, immature stage of your life. It’s time to step up for your family and I hope that when you return, we can discuss further steps regarding your future. Happy Christmas, your brother.  
  
_

Henry’s hand was clenching around his mobile by the time he had reached the end of the message. This was _exactly_ why he hadn’t let anyone but Bea know that he wouldn’t attend family Christmas. He’d known they wouldn’t understand.

Closing the message, he moved on to his conversation with Bea.  
  


**Bea:** _Happy Christmas Eve to you and your lover boy! Try to have some food in between all the glorious sex :P_

**Bea:** _Ugh, Philip just called to ask me where we are. I’m sorry, he’s probably going to come after you next._

**Bea:** _Don’t let anything he says get to you.  
  
_

Henry had to smile at his sister’s word. He sent back a snapshot of Alex’s cooking from earlier and responded.  
  


**Henry:** _He fed me well, as you can see. Happy Christmas Eve to you, too. Philip is an arse, as always, but I’ll have a hot tub, wine and a sweet boy waiting for me shortly, so it’s not so bad.  
  
_

Bea’s answer was immediate. It included three thumbs up emoji and a short message.  
  


**Bea:** _Glad to see he’s taking care of you. Enjoy.  
  
_

At last, he looked at June’s message.  
  


**June:** _Happy Christmas Eve, Henry! Hope you’re enjoying your holidays and Alex isn’t getting on your nerves. Feel free to kick him out if he does. Love, June  
  
_

Henry grinned before sending a quick reply.   
  


**Henry:** _Don’t worry, he’s far from an annoyance. Enjoy your stay in London. Happy Christmas Eve._   
  


“Okay,” Alex said, coming back into the room. “The water is running, the story is printed, the wine is poured. Put that phone down and get naked.”

“Yes, Sir,” Henry purred, and Alex laughed, winking as he backed into the bathroom once more. Henry followed.

The water was indeed running and was starting to smell of some luxurious oils. 

“Nora’s parents are into essential oils,” Alex explained. “We’re never out of supplies. This is ylang-ylang, lavender, rose and something else… sandalwood? It’s supposed to be good for stress and anxiety so I thought, why not?”

Henry hummed, distracted when Alex pulled his sweater over his head. Alex chuckled, shaking his head at him. His curls bounced prettily. 

“Less staring and more stripping,” he ordered, hitting him playfully with his sweater. “You’re not getting in there clothed.”

“Fine,” Henry smirked, reaching for the hem of his own sweater. 

They undressed efficiently and got into the bathwater. Alex turned off the tab shortly after.

“The temperature okay?” he checked.

“Perfect,” Henry hummed, nudging Alex to lean against his chest. He went willingly.

“Here,” he said, handing him his glass of wine. “Now, do you want to read your story to me?”

Henry blinked, considering. “Would you like that?” he asked.

“I would,” Alex nodded. “It’s your work, after all. You would probably do a better job of it than the voice in my head.”

“I’m not a good public speaker,” Henry warned. “Or reader, for that matter.”

“I don’t mind,” Alex smiled softly. “But I’d like to listen to your intonations, your breaks or even comments… Plus, I sort of dig your accent.”

“Ah, so now we’re getting to the root of it,” Henry grinned. “You’re into British accents.”

“I’m into _your_ British accent,” Alex corrected. “I couldn’t care less about it otherwise. So, what do you say?”

Henry bit his lip and then reached out for the papers. Alex grinned in triumph and handed them to him.

It was unexpectedly peaceful, sitting in that bathtub with Alex and reading to him. He did feel a bit tense at the beginning, wondering what Alex thought of his work, but then he settled into the rhythm of it as Alex listened with a gentle focus. When he was done, he looked up at Alex, some of his nerves returning as he found keen brown eyes on him. The expression in them was intense somehow.

“Henry,” he breathed. “You are really, really talented.”

Henry smiled, a little self-deprecatingly. “You’re just saying that because you want to fuck me later,” he pointed out.

“I’m not,” Alex said, his voice hard and his eyes flashed. “I don’t do pity-reviews. If your writing hadn’t been my thing, I would have said so. I might have packaged it nicely, like ‘this is too intellectual for me’ or some shit, but I wouldn’t have beaten around the bush. But that’s not the case. I like it. You’re good. Don’t wave it off.”

Henry stared at him, taken aback by the vehemence of his words. He couldn’t answer. His throat had closed up.

“The theme of this story,” Alex continued, at last. “It's about leaving things that hurt you behind and walking towards things that heal you.” He chews on his lip for a moment before continuing. “How much of that is you on this trip?”

“More than you know,” Henry breathed.

Alex let out a shaky breath and then, he was kissing Henry. The papers fell into the bathwater, but neither of them cared. 

Henry wished they could stay in this moment forever, wrapped in their personal bubble where time didn’t move forward and nothing could hurt them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aand I'm back with the last chapter of this story! Not going to say much - hope you'll enjoy it! :)

**_Christmas Day_ **

Henry tried so hard to hold onto their last full day together, but it seemed to be running through his fingers like sand. 

They slept in. They had sex. They went for a walk around the lake. They watched a hallmark movie (Alex made fun of it being a cliché storyline, but like Henry, he seemed in a stupidly good mood after). They ate last night’s leftovers. Had more sex. Then had ice cream and more sex.

“You know,” Alex said cheerfully when he rested his cheek against Henry’s chest. “Tomorrow, when we’re back to Austin, I’ll take you to this awesome diner. They make the best milkshakes. We’ll have to share one because no way can we have one each and still eat, but -”

“Alex,” Henry interrupted him, a lump in his throat. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Alex froze. Henry racked his brain. He had told him, right? He was sure he had told him how long he was staying. 

“Tomorrow?” he breathed, barely audible. “I -  _ tomorrow?” _

“Yes,” Henry confirmed. “My plane leaves at 5:20 P.M..”

Alex was blinking hard. There was a long silence between them, more uncomfortable than anything that had happened between them since Alex had so unexpectedly crashed his holiday.

“Hey, at least you’ll have your sister back,” Henry joked, but his voice was strained. “You’ll be rid of the stranger occupying your room.”

“I -” Alex began, but then his mouth snapped shut. He made a face and rolled onto his back, away from Henry. Henry immediately felt cold.

Alex stared up at the ceiling, his expression clouded. They did not speak again for the rest of the night.

**_Boxing Day_ **

“I think that should be everything,” Henry said, looking around June’s apartment once more to check. They had returned from the Lake House early this morning to allow Henry enough time to pack and get to the airport. 

Alex had been subdued the entire ride back. It wasn’t that he’d been ignoring Henry; it was rather like a large dark cloud had drawn over his usually sunny and energetic demeanour, making him almost unrecognisable. It unsettled Henry more than he liked to admit, but he didn’t know what to do about it.

Part of him wanted to comfort Alex, but what was he supposed to say? That they could stay in contact? They both knew it wouldn’t be the same, and Henry would just be torturing himself. Wouldn’t it be best to just leave things as they were?

“Alright,” Alex nodded, fumbling with the car keys. The closer they got to Henry’s departure, the more agitated he seemed to become. “Let’s go.”

“You don’t need to drop me off,” Henry said, for the hundredth time. “I can just call a cab and -”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Alex rolled his eyes. “Why spend a fortune when I can drive you? Plus, I’d like to say a proper goodbye, at least.”

Henry’s throat felt tight at those words. He’d been afraid of that. He didn’t know how to say goodbye to Alex. He didn’t want to drag it out.

The drive out of Austin and back to the airport made Henry strangely reminiscent of his arrival merely a week ago, and how he’d been talking to Bea on his mobile throughout the ride into town, joking about Texan blokes and sex and breaking away from his life. Now that all of that had come to pass, he wondered if all of this hadn’t been a huge mistake.

How was he going to let Alex go now that he’d had him? How was he going to go back to reality?

But try as he may, he couldn’t bring himself to regret Alex, either. Even if he never got over him, at least he got to carry the memory of being with him away from this. It would be worth it. 

At the airport, Alex found a parking spot and accompanied Henry to the departure terminals. Henry soon found the British Airways counter and got into line. He didn’t need to wait long to check-in and hand over his luggage. When he returned to where Alex was waiting for him, the other was fidgeting with his mobile, looking slightly pale. 

“So…” Henry said, a bit awkwardly. 

Alex looked at him, his jaw clenching and unclenching. Then, he took a shaky breath and whispered: “Don’t go.”

“What?” Henry asked, taken aback.

“Don’t go,” Alex repeated, louder now, his voice more determined. It seemed like a dam had been broken and words he had been holding back all day flowed out because he continued: “You don’t even want to leave! I know you don’t! What’s waiting for you in England, apart from your sister? Nothing! You don’t want to work for your family, just being around them is toxic for you! What you really want to do is write, but you can do that here, or in New York, with me!”

“Alex -” Henry started, but Alex cut him off.

“I love you!” Henry could only stare at Alex’s declaration, but Alex didn’t seem to care. “I know it’s only been a week, and I know it’s too fast, but I’m crazy about you, Henry, and I don’t want to let you go! The sort of thing we feel - you don’t just let that slip through your fingers! You hold onto it and you fight for it! So please - let me?”

Henry could only blink at the hand Alex had stretched out towards him, waiting for him to take it. Alex’s words echoed in his head.

Alex loved him. 

Alex  _ loved _ him. 

And while part of him wanted to take what was offered and drive into the sunset with this beautiful man, he hesitated. A voice in his head - a voice that sounded suspiciously like Philip - told him that this was madness. 

“Alex,” he breathed. “I can’t.”

Alex let his hand drop and he looked so vulnerable at that moment that Henry wanted to scream. But still, he kept speaking.

“We’ve known each other for a week,” he explained. “I can’t just… throw over my life like that. It’s not rational.”

Alex gulped, avoiding his eyes. He looked so small all of a sudden, and Henry hated himself with a burning passion. Why did he have to be this way?!

“I understand,” Alex whispered. 

“But Alex,” Henry said urgently because he needed to say it, “this time with you… it was - magical. Thank you for every minute of it.”

Alex nodded, trying to smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. 

Tentatively, Henry stepped closer, and when Alex didn’t pull away, he wrapped his arms around Alex. After a moment, Alex hugged him back. He breathed in Alex’s scent, trying to imprint it into his memory. 

This was all he would get, after all.

When he stepped away, Alex’s eyes looked a little watery. 

“Goodbye,” Henry said, his own voice thin.

“Goodbye,” Alex nodded.

It took all of Henry’s willpower to pick up his carry-on luggage and turn his back to Alex. With shaky legs, he walked towards the first control terminal and showed his ticket. After he was waved through, he turned to look for Alex again. 

Alex was still there, watching him. Then, he smiled at him sadly and waved before heading for the exit. 

Henry watched him go, panic rushing through him.

What was he doing? 

What was he  _ doing? _

_ “You know,” _ his best friend Pez had once told him, throughout his gap year, when they had been travelling through Thailand,  _ “your family really fucked you over, mate. Even when you have good things, you can’t let yourself enjoy them because of the inferiority complexes they instilled in you. You always need to be better, smarter, more efficient. It’s okay to just  _ be _ sometimes. To just enjoy. You are enough, okay? Try to remember that, every once in a while.” _

He hadn’t really understood what Pez had been talking about back then, but now, as he was walking away from the one person he could remember ever seriously falling for out of some misplaced sense of duty and rationality, he finally got it. 

Fuck them. Fuck them all. He wanted Alex. He wanted  _ this,  _ whatever they could be. And he didn’t care whether it made sense or not. It made him  _ happy. _

“Excuse me!” Henry called, running back to the terminal he had just come through, startling the attendant. “I need to get back out!”

“Did you forget something?” the man asked, confused.

“Yes!” Henry replied, laughing. “I really did!”

Frowning, the man motioned for him to pass, and Henry ran. 

He caught up with Alex just as he walked through the doors out to the street. 

“Alex!” he called, and Alex froze, turning slowly. “Wait!”

“Henry?” he blinked, turning towards him with an expression of utter confusion. “What -?” But then, Henry almost barrelled into him - not very smoothly, and Alex _just_ caught him to keep them upright. “Careful,” he laughed breathlessly. “What are you -”

Henry kissed him. Alex moaned and wrapped his arms around him, pulling Henry against him and returning the kiss enthusiastically.

“I love you, too,” Henry clarified, as soon as he pulled away. “And you’re right. There’s nothing for me in England. Apart from my brother waiting to yell at me, and I really want to put that off as much as I can.”

“Right,” Alex blinked. “Okay.”

“So, I was thinking,” Henry said. “I heard all these wonderful things about New Year's Eve in New York City. Maybe you could show me what that’s about.”

A slow smile spread over Alex’s face. “I think that could be arranged,” he chuckled.

“Good,” Henry grinned. “And while we’re there, maybe I could find a literary agent. New York must have a few.”

“I’m sure,” Alex nodded. He leaned in to catch his lips in a kiss again, smiling into it. “But first, we need to go back in there.”

“Why?” Henry asked, confused.

“Because you just went all rom-com on me and now we have to find a way to get your luggage back, genius,” he laughed. Henry’s eyes widened and cleared his throat. 

“Right,” he said, letting Alex pull him back towards the entrance. “Let’s do that. Any ideas?”

“Tell our romantic story and beg?” Alex suggested, snorting.

“Worth a try,” Henry sighed. “I’ll leave you in charge.”

**_New Year’s Eve_ **

“I still can’t believe how this worked out!” June shouted into Henry’s ear, loud enough to be heard over the crowd. “This is just amazing!”

“I can’t believe you made us come here!” Nora called. “Which self-respecting New York citizen goes to actually watch the ball drop at midnight? I thought that was a tourist thing!”

“Well, you are all tourists,” Alex reminded her. “Plus, I know a fair share of people who do this every year.”

“Are they masochists?” Nora asked. “I’m sure they must be.”

“As if you don’t enjoy a good party,” Alex snorted, rolling his eyes at Henry. “Just wait till she gets drunk enough.”

“Looking forward to it,” was Henry’s solemn reply, which Nora did not hear. She was already back to making out with June. 

Alex just rolled his eyes at them fondly before leaning into Henry. Henry smiled, wrapping his arms around his waist and pressing his nose into his hair. 

“Heard anything from Bea?” Alex asked, turning to speak into his ear.

“Yes,” he answered. “Sent her one of our selfies earlier when we arrived, before she went to bed. She was already pretty deep in her drink, though. Most of her reply was just emojis and calling us adorable.”

“We are adorable,” Alex said reasonably, smirking at him. “Can’t wait to meet her. When’s she coming over again?” 

“Second week of January,” Henry said. “She’s bringing a lot of my stuff, which, thank God. It puts off my return trip to London a bit longer. Hopefully, when I eventually have to face my family, I’ll already have a plan in terms of a career to show and won’t feel quite as vulnerable to their slander.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Alex smiled. “We’ll just have to get your visa sorted as soon as everything opens up again in the new year.”

“Right,” Henry nodded, nerves filtering into his voice. “I just hope everything works out. If I have to leave again because of visa issues -”

“It will be fine,” Alex assured him. “I have a plan.”

“What sort of plan?” Henry asked, eyeing him suspiciously. 

“You’ll see,” Alex grinned mischievously. 

And Henry did indeed. When the New Year was counted down and Alex kissed him as the ball had dropped at the turn of the year, Henry felt a small box pressed into his palm.

“Open it,” Alex breathed against his lips before pulling away.

Henry blinked before pulling his hand up to look at the box. It was a ring box, and it was opened to show a simple golden band.

“Marry me,” Alex said, determination in his voice.

Henry gaped at him. “Wha - what?” he asked, in shock.

“I know it’s fast,” Alex admitted. “And I know we haven't known each other for long, but I know it’s you, Henry. I know you’re it, and I’m not going to wait around and let anything get in between us. I’m not asking you to go to Vegas with me tomorrow. I just want you to know I’m all in. I want to be with you.”

Henry chewed on his lip. His heart was almost beating out of his chest. “This is mental,” he pointed out. 

“I know,” Alex grinned. 

Henry tilted his head. Considered. Yes, it was fast. It was slightly over the top. But it  _ felt _ right. He knew he didn’t want to be with anyone but Alex. 

Alex was his person. He’d known that after a week. Maybe after that first night, even.

“Yes,” Henry said, smiling. “I must be losing my mind, but yes.”

Alex laughed, the sound joyful before he pulled Henry into another kiss. Then, he took the ring box from Henry’s palm and placed the ring on his finger. “See,” he said, with an air of satisfaction, “I told you I had the whole visa thing figured out.”

“Don’t tell me you proposed to keep me in the US?” Henry asked, amused.

“Not quite,” Alex shrugged. “I was talking to June about marriage after she returned from the UK and we had a heated discussion. She was all ‘after what happened to Mum and Dad, not sure I’m ever going to bother’, and I told her that I’d propose to you in a heartbeat if I thought you’d have me. She didn’t  _ believe  _ me. I mean, the _audacity._ And then, I looked into visa options and saw the fiancé visa was the quickest way to keep you here. So, that kicked that into action.”

“So, basically, you proposed because you’re stubborn?” Henry deadpanned, grinning.

“I proposed because I love you, you asshole!” Alex laughed. “No appreciation for my romantic gesture, honestly.”

Henry shook his head and leaned in to kiss him once more. “I love you, too,” he breathed against his lips. “For better or for worse.”

Even though being with Alex always felt a bit like jumping off a cliff.

But as long as they did it together, Henry knew they would be fine. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, okay, LISTEN TO ME. I wasn't going to have them get engaged within two weeks of knowing each other. I really wasn't. Usually, that's not my kind of thing. But then I was writing the ending and my rational mind kicked up the visa question and I knew Henry would probably take a while to establish himself as an author, so that seemed unrealistic to me as a rushed ending. But the tiny Alex in my mind apparently didn't think a quick proposal was a bad idea. Because this is Alex, who flies across the Atlantic to crash Kensington Palace and calls Henry an obtuse fucking asshole for ghosting him. He *would* propose after two weeks if that would keep Henry with him, especially if someone tells him he can't and/or won't.
> 
> The conversation when they apply for the visa would be fun, though.
> 
> "I see you proposed to him two weeks after meeting him."  
> "Yes. What are you implying?"  
> "... You have to admit that's rather fast."  
> "If you knew how much sex we've had since then, you'd change your mind."  
> "*chokes*"  
> "Or how mindblowing the orgasms were. Talking about fast -"  
> "Alex."  
> "But Henry, she ASKED."
> 
> So, here's to Alex traumatising people and defying all rationality, because we all know that's what he's good at. Cheers.


End file.
